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Inequality in the United States and Other Industrialized Countries

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Reciprocity in Human Societies

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Abstract

This chapter deals with the repercussions of the neoliberal policies of tax havens, tax cuts and austerity of the past 35 years that have prevailed not only in the United States and the UK but also in Scandinavia and Finland. Data are presented on growing disparity in the distribution of income and wealth. The chapter focuses on the rise of the Republican right wing in the United States and its consequences, the dismantling of social services and benefits of ordinary Americans. Many people who felt that that they had been left to their own devices voted for populists. The surge of populism is related to various recent phenomena: Brexit, Trump’s victory in the US presidential election and the emergence of authoritarian regimes in Poland, Hungary, Russia and Turkey.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Antti Kujala

  2. University of Turku, Turku, Finland

    Mirkka Danielsbacka

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  1. Antti Kujala
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  2. Mirkka Danielsbacka
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Correspondence to Antti Kujala .

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Kujala, A., Danielsbacka, M. (2019). Inequality in the United States and Other Industrialized Countries. In: Reciprocity in Human Societies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96056-2_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96056-2_8

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-96055-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-96056-2

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